Individuals can actively take steps to help protect their identity.
Some are easier and more convenient than others but all help. Accepting that you are responsible for your own identity and then taking charge of your identity protection is the first critical step. You simply cannot rely on all of the people who have your information to use the best practices in protecting it.
The first is properly disposing of papers and information. Almost everyone has already heard of the importance of shredding all personal information on papers including credit card receipts that you don’t save for tax purposes. However, you need to think beyond papers and preapproved credit cards. Your most valuable identity is your medical identity and every prescription bottle and the accompanying papers have your medical identity there for the taking. Remember that most people make good money going through trash and selling all the information they find. Further, asking people you do business with such as doctors, insurance companies, power companies and the like how they handle and dispose of your confidential information is important.
While realistically you can never ensure they are using good procedures, just asking helps. They are supposed to have identity theft protection procedures written down and in place and asking may prompt a re-examination and perhaps even formalization of their procedures.
The second protection process is using confidential information carefully and as little as possible. Make sure no one can see you accessing pin numbers for debit cards or at ATM machines, and do not share passwords and pin numbers. Finally, keep your personal checks simple with no phone number, Social Security or drivers license number imprinted for all to see.
A third method of self protection is avoiding risky practices. When you order checks, have them delivered to your bank so they cannot be stolen. Mail checks from the post offices or drop boxes rather than from home. Though inconvenient for many, a PO Box is the safest method of mail delivery. If making purchases online, be sure the sites are secure because if a site doesn’t say it is “secure,” it’s not.
Finally, monitoring your credit reports and financial statements is essential. You are entitled to a free credit report from each of the three agencies once a year. That means you can request one every four months from a different agency and start over again. The three agencies are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Obviously this will require record-keeping and four months is a long time, but, early detection is critical when a breach occurs. Additionally, search all of your monthly statements for unfamiliar activity and contact the corresponding agency or business immediately if anything unusual draws your attention. You may have simply forgotten something, or someone may have tapped into your account.
Just as a burglary alarm system cannot prevent theft, following the suggestions cannot prevent identity theft, only make it more difficult. Any inconvenience to you is a bigger one to a thief, and thieves tend to choose those targets that are most easily available. Making sure your identity is not one of those only makes sense.
